The closer they get, the harder each side claws for every little million in NHL Owners’ Lockout III.

About all yesterday’s six-hour mediated session between the league and the Players Association accomplished was to give the NHL protection against unfair labor practices claims, since it did agree to the meeting.

The New Jersey session, in which the sides did not meet face-to-face but had their positions handled by the federal intermediaries, failed to close any ground in the lockout, which has already cost the sport its games through Dec. 30.

The league remained firm with its take-it-or-leave-it stance on last week’s offer, although deputy commissioner Bill Daly claimed there was no offer on the table, having been withdrawn after last week’s breakdown.

The sides have at least both spoken of a 50-50 revenue split, down from a 57 percent players’ share as the last CBA ended, although the timing and definitions of revenue have yet to be settled.

The biggest obstacles remain the length of the CBA, with the league asking for eight years, the players for six, each with two more optional years, and the league demanding a five-year limit on player contracts. In addition, the league is not willing to grant teams easy ways out of salary cap trouble that would result from such a cut in the players’ share of revenue.

The players were left to, again, take or leave the league’s plan, and they left it.